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Penitentiary yard, there love is in petite supply
There the hearts are murkier than starless skies
There souls await the grave with bloody eyes
Aye, graves, those eggs we know never hatch
The soul penned behind metal bars of a prison,
Dreaming to feel the flame sunup shinning well
On the silver water lying beside his prison cell
He dreams of being kissed by its warm fair rays
O! Dreams that never meet isles of fulfillment
Till life’s twilight arrives and the breath of life
Like a setting sun withers away from eyesight

My eyes toed from the penitentiary yard to see
This choleric hurried world patrol up and down
I beheld visages termed free by laws of the land
In their harried eye I saw lodged a prisoner’s-fate
For their feet hastened to daily affairs they hate
Like a prisoner’s eyes, theirs covet to be sate
By feel of the warm lips of their fair soul-mates
Aye soul-mates fair as goddesses on whose altars
They covet to sacrifice serenades and flowers
But bars of cares hold them off from sweet love
Like metal bars hold the prisoner from the sun rays

Destination

Do winy-rivers of water ever have a destination
Is it its fate to glide, waft and never halt to rave
To descend jagged rocks, picking shingles along
To waltz amid sinewy wings of tides and waves
To be beaten atop the shore by finger of nature
Till the sun falls from the sky and dries it up
Somehow I think the rivers and men are alike
Fruits-of-Eve waltz on betwixt cares and aches
Descending jagged paths, ferrying gores along
Till death falls from the sky and dries them up

So in this unceasing trip I toed on waiting death
For centuries thought by men as the destination
But then at last I chanced-on that the rivers have
A destination other than sun falling from the sky
When I chanced-on she plucked from my rib cage
They say wedlock is having a companion to fly
With us as we toe waiting death to fall from sky
But nay, the river’s destination is also the ocean
Like she is also my destination, not a companion
My path is gone, my destination is your visage

Fruit of First Became Last

His face was smile-rent, men make tears off dent
He turns tears to gold amid his form, shakily old
And feet blest with leprosy, snow-white and bent
He is the least of citizens if there such a thing be

Election comes, candidates yen win, loathe loss
Seeing via his wilted orb, the bent-feet did toss
“Beholding win and loss is how men grow up”
His syllables winged unwelcome as the grave

After day campaigning, wearily men hug pillow
While in sleep men rot, Oke sat by the bent-feet
Like a wind in midst of a wind bent-feet spoke
Words flow like seas of rapture, only Oke sips

Amidst winds lodging on amidst the treetops
Chasers chased hoping El-dorado was in sight
Amid election chase men tread men, life-force
Deserts souls of the thumped, fittest win fight
First-citizen victor lends his few hale men gold
Aye those souls who wrestled shield by shield
With him with one plea (to fetch him victory)

Few rainy days pass, rust gnaws gold in mass
Shades roam land, from lack men fall as ants
Soon the hale and hearty are told “take heart”
They cry to first-citizen, ‘mine is bare’ he says
Time gave doses of justice to even the giants

But truly showers or dew cannot rust an idea
Though man with bent feet in time turns ash
His words slumber not, they vibrate terribly
Aye! Thunder and lightning of words raved
In Oke’s mind pictures from past did shake

As Oke tasked his odd mind to unearth cure
Lyrics spoke on from bent feet’s silent ash
Lines turn stanzas, stanzas grew into essays
Till his words become full blown goldmines
For with his counsel Oke grew a fecund trade

Vast gain hailed Oke’s trade for ‘twas learnt
By only him and he did face no competition
O! But success is the girl most ached by lads
Now the fruit of tail is ached by men of that
Land tottering on in unsure democratic steps
Aye, the “Fruits of first citizen became last”

Help or Remain Captain?

Sailors of seas, they are Danes that hugs seas as pretty-dames
With faith in ship, “Big-fish” that crushes to powder kames
They are talons like flames driving hordes to for guts ail
Users of axes that cause wails, suckers of mead and ale
Swivers of maids with name, raiders of lands others wish

With dawn still green and dim, entering from raid men rot
In lust for share of plunder, plunder many as stars
That gilded Abraham’s sky, men first need heave heft big-fish
But hands for task were shy, pants grew into deep breaths
Sweat waltzed with sweats, their toil was a strive with wind

Hands are needed captain works with lips
In shadow of growls vocals are faint as
Sleep on thorny bed
Captain grabs rod in wet, rod nips the flesh
Salt in tears, sweat sip into mouths
Danes beg mercy of whips
God made Norsemen, captain’s whip made slaves

Minutes grew into hours, hours before dusk now faint
Sun slowly sunk at the west strength slowly turned sour
Lust for plunder still roar, captain’s voice turns hoar
His hands from whipping worn
Amid soggy soil so dour Vikings are lour as men in deserts
Hope slowly away pours

They say “darkest is night if afore dawn, hours are mite”
Lo horse rider draws nigh with bells ringing in joy
Singing “Glory! Glory! Hail! Hail! ‘Of men Light’”
All knees lick earth, a rite for The Captain of captains
Captain of captain’s voice pierces “What’s thy plight?”
His voice like the roar of a king among his wights
The vinegar is given him, his face returns a smile
“Why not add might?” king asks “Am Captain” says captain
“Why not lend a ‘widows mite’?” Captain of captain asked
Ere he joins heavers as captain falls in awe of sight
Captain’s mind lost all her right

Work with the most royal dight, tired men find light
At regal fight Big-fish is willing
Then ‘King of captains’ yells
“Help or remain captain which does well?”
“Ah! Pride makes ‘reason’ a blind man” cries captain
As to moor his feet dash light

Author Bio:

Eterigho Oghenekome Humphrey was born on the seventh day of July, 1994 at Oleh in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State. After six years of primary school education he obtained his Primary School Leaving Certificate at Odoro Primary School Oleh. He attended Saint Michael’s College Oleh where he was the library prefect graduating the best science student of his class in year 2011, same year he got admitted into the University of Port Harcourt to study physics. He is currently an NYSC corp member serving in Benue State where he is the president of ICPC anti-corruption CDS group.